Chapel in Hegyközszentimre

Architect: Péter Wagner
Text: István Szövényi
Photos: Péter Wagner

The chapel was built in a picturesque environment on the edge of the cemetery in the village of Hegyközszentimre. This is the site where Prince Imre the only son of the first Hungarian King, St Stephen died after receiving fatal wounds in an accident whilst hunting. Soon after he was sanctifited, a cloister was built on the site on a hilltop overlooking the valley of the river Berettyó. The site of the chapel is not far from the place where the prince died, and the supposed site of the lateral walls of the cloister. However, it is visible from quite a distance, and thus has the chance to become a symbol of not only the village itself but also that of the region. The building has three functions: it commemorates Prince Imre and thus all our saints from the Árpád dynasty, which was the first royal family of Hungary, and it also serves as a mortuary and a lookout tower from where the valley of the river Berettyó and even farther landscapes are visible.

Client: Hegyközszentimrei Református Egyházközség, Zoltán Kucharszky
Architect: Péter Wagner
Fellow architect: Annamária Müller
Structure: Mircea Brazda
Main contractor: FEROGAR – Sándor Garnai
Built by the will and activity of the inhabitants of the village and by the selfless and generous donations of private individuals and associations and with the significant support of the Hungarian State